In a bid to achieve self-sufficiency and encourage farmers to produce more, the government is committed to procuring 100 per cent of the tur (arhar) through central agencies, said Union Agriculture Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday. Also, the government has approved a total purchase of 27.99 lakh tonnes of gram (chana) and 28.28 lakh tonnes of mustard for the rabi marketing season 2025, besides extending the PM-Asha Yojana till 2025-26, according to an official statement.
Chouhan said till March 25, a total of 2.46 lakh tonnes of tur at MSP has been procured by agencies such as NAFED and NCCF in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana, benefitting over 1.71 lakh farmers. He said the price of tur in Uttar Pradesh is currently running above MSP.
In order to increase domestic production of pulses, encourage farmers and reduce dependence on imports, the government has approved procurement of tur, urad and lentil under Price Support Scheme (PSS) at 100 per cent of State production for the procurement year 2024-25. The government also announced in Budget 2025 that 100 per cent of the State’s production of tur, urad and masoor will be procured for the next four years till 2028-29 to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses in the country.
Purchase window extended
Procurement of tur has been approved in AP, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh under the PSS for kharif 2024-25 season. Also, in the interest of farmers, Karnataka has approved the extension of the procurement period by 30 days to May 1.
For the rabi marketing season 25, the total approved quantity of lentil for MSP purchase is 9.40 lakh tonnes. Also, the procurement of copra (milling and ball) has also been approved in Tamil Nadu.
The government has ensured farmers use NAFED and NCCF portals to simplify registration and process. On behalf of the Centre, Chouhan appealed to all the State governments to ensure that there is no purchase below MSP. “Our aim is to benefit the farmers and we will leave no stone unturned to fulfil this noble objective,” he said.